Not What She Seems
by Spawn of Nerdom
Summary: Bucky needs to get out of his shell and to help him, Steve takes him to an animal shelter to get a dog. But the only problem is, the dog is more that what she seems.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own or claim the Avengers

**Notes: **I would love to give a huge shout out to the best girlfriend in all the nine realms, Clockwork's Apprentice, for choosing the story because I (once again) could not decide. Thanks, babe!

**Not What She Seems**

**Prologue:**

Charlotte winced as she continued to run, bullets just narrowly missing her.

Why is she running, you ask?

Because the people who think of her as a mindless monster want her back on her leash. They're not in control, and they hate that more than anything.

The Facility (people that are trying to catch her) was created on the soul purpose of capturing the natural, non-human creatures and experimenting on them. Finding out what they can do, how they do it, how they tick.

Charlotte was born there.

But right now, Charlotte was just trying to get away. She hated them. No. She more than hated them, she loathed them. They killed her mom after years of torture. They hurt her friends. Somehow she would take them down, but right now she just had to get away.

Charlotte shook her head and started running on all fours, and kept shaking her whole body as she continued to run through the streets if New York, changing into a small, brown wolf.

She had been on the run for a few days now, not getting any type of rest, and even less food. She had so many scrapes, bruises, burns, and bullet holes that it was a miracle she was even standing.

She turned a corner, almost running into a couple of people as she did so. The lights of the city glowed brightly, and as much as she wanted to just stop and stare at the beauty before her, she knew she had to keep going.

She ran through the streets of Time Square, dodging all sorts of obstacles. There was the Facility, people, dogs, cats, rats, sticky food. Though cars were the worst. She nearly got ran over four times, and almost caused two car crashes.

That's when more people started to join the hunt.

The Dog Catchers, finest in New York, were hot on Charlotte's tail.

Traffic was getting harder to weave through, and her fatigue only made it worse, but she ran. Considering the circumstances, she was actually doing pretty well for the next few blocks.

It was obvious that the Facility troops had stopped hunting her for the moment. They were discreet, secret, and waned to stay discreet and secret. Chasing a 'dog' through the middle of Times Square was not a smart way to do so, so they backed off. But the dog catchers on the other hand, was a different matter. They thought she was a dog, and she had no collar or tags or anything of the like (Considering she was born in the Facility), so she needed to be taken in and put in a cage. But Charlotte, having never been outside the Facility, therefore not knowing anything about the real world, didn't know that. She just knew that if people were chasing her she better stick her tail in between her legs and get as far away from themas you possibly could. In a way she was doing that with the Facility.

Charlotte, over time, slowed down greatly. In fact, she ran so far for so long that she actually collapsed onto her side, trying not to cough up a lung in the middle of the dark alleyway. She was panting hard, and every bone in her body hurt like hell, as if a truck had just smashed into her with full force. Or any vehicle for that mater, considering how she was so small. That's just another thing that made Charlotte the odd ball in a pack of Lupos.

Lupos are just one of the many species that has been around since before humans. They have three forms (Unlike a Hundas, who only have two). The first being her dog form, in which she was now in, her human form, where she looked like a normal eight year old girl (If you counted dirty, starved, and scarred normal), and her in between form, where she was human, but had pointy dog ears, a bushy, brown tail, claws, and fangs that wolf would have. But in all forms she had great hearing and smelling abilities.

It wasn't long before the dog catchers found her. As they stood on he sidewalk in front of her, she painfully and clumsily stood up, almost going right back down to the ground as she stumbled to the side. She shook her head and looked up at them weakly, seeing as how they were coming at her cautiously. She growled, letting the small but threatening sound resonate. The men put their hands up, as if they were surrendering, but she knew they weren't. Why else would they still be waling towards her with those weird hoop things and nets? She barked, showing off her large canines, her legs shaking from being over used.

"It's okay," One of them said, "We're not gonna hurt you," He tried to sooth, but she just shook her head again. She couldn't understand a word he was saying. She only understood Esperanto, despite the fact that she had grown around people who spoke English her entire life. Her mother was the one to teach her how to speak, and she only spoke Esperanto.

Suddenly, one of them charged. Charlotte had no time to react as she was grabbed by the scruff of her neck and pulled high into the air. She yelped in pain, and he lowered her down into his arms, putting a muzzle on her as he did so. He clipped it behind her head and gently put her in the back of the car in one of the small dog crates. She pawed at the muzzle, hardly even trying to get it off. She sighed and closed her eyes, thinking that she might be with her mom soon. If not, then maybe it would just be another hell.

Either way, she had stopped caring.

As the truck shook to a stop about twenty minutes later, she didn't bother moving. Charlotte was just to tired to do anything at the moment. She didn't even flinch when the doors opened and the men carried her through many different halls, and into a room that was all white. But she just closed her eyes again and slept.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes: **Happy Holidays, everyone! I really hope you have an awesome time. As a special gift I will be uploading the rest of the story today. Whoop! Hope you enjoy! ^-^

**Chapter 1-Decisions, Decisions  
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**Third Person:**

Steve sighed as he walked through the halls of the Avengers Tower. He had moved back in just a few months after he and Natasha found the Winter Soldier. He had been going on a murder spree all throughout the world, and when they caught up to him, he went more than just peacefully. He actually took the cartridges out of all of his guns and handed them over before gladly letting Natasha put a pair of handcuffs on him. It was only a few months later that Natasha had found out that everyone he had killed had either been HYDRA or someone who was involved in the Winter Soldier program, which, needless to say, was a lot of people.

Now, with S.H.I.E.L.D. being gone, Winter Soldier had no prison to go to. No normal prison would hold him, although Steve thought that if you put him in one, he would probably stay just for the guilt that was obviously eating away at him. So he stayed at the Tower with the rest of the Avengers. Bucky hardly ever came out of his room, but he let Steve in every noe and then. It just depended on Bucky's mood that day. Most of the time he was in a bad mood, or just tired, as if he was just done with everything. And, considering the circumstances, Steve couldn't blame him.

Steve often woke up to Bucky's screems whenever Buck tried to sleep. He had a serious case of PTSD (as did the other Avengers, but not nearly as bad as Bucky's), so he rarely ever slept. Hell, practically anything could set him back in a flashback or something of the sort.

These are just a few reasons that Steve was heading to Bucky's room.

Steve had talked to Bruce about it, and both of them (along with Tony making an executive vote) thought it would be an astounding idea to get Bucky a service dog. Or just any dog in general. Hell, maybe even a cat. Steve didn't care as long as his best friend was happy.

He was standing outside of Bucky's door a few minutes later.

"Buck, it's me, Steve," Steve said after he knocked. "Can you open the door?"

On the other side he heard slight shuffling, and about a minute later Bucky opened the door. Steve had internal pity for his friend, but he never showed it.

Bucky wore a gray tank top with black sweat pants. His hair looked like it hadn't ever been brushed as a few strands fell in his face. Steve would have been surprised that Bucky was still standing strong, as if he hadn't lost some wright while at the Tower, but then he remembered that Bucky had been experimented on and Bucky snuck out at night ever now and then to get some food. Bucky also had bags on his bags on his bags. The bags under his eyes were so dark and defined that he almost looked like he was wearing that 'guy-liner' (That's what Stark called it) on. Bucky looked at Steve tiredly, but expectantly.

"Hey, Steve," Bucky said, trying to play everything off, as if nothing was wrong. Steve gave him a warm smile as he asked what was up.

"Get dressed, I'm taking you somewhere," Steve said, excitement slowly growing inside of him. Bucky raised an eyebrow and rubbed the tiredness out of his face.

"Where, Steve? If I didn't know you I'd say this is some kind of prank."

Steve chuckled and clapped a hand on Bucky's shoulder. He let out a long sigh.

"That's Tony and Clint's job, not mine. Now go on. Get dressed and I _might _just tell you where I'm gonna take you."

Bucky rolled his eyes and nodded sarcastically.

"Sure you are. You kept you joining the freaking army from me, and if you can do that then there's a lot more things you can do. But it just doesn't suit you. Like sarcasm."

"At least I can manage to work the coffee maker."

"Oh we're gonna go to that again?" Bhcky said, throwing his hands in the air with an exasperated tone in his voice. "Need I remind you that you thought fondue was kissing," he said, pointing an accusing finger at Steve.

"Better yet, why don't I just go tell-"

"-You do and I'll tell them about the first time at Coney Island."

"I don't remember that. Not yet, anyway. Now go away and ley me get dressed. Geesh, can't a senior citizen get some privacy around here?"

Steve put his hands up in a form of surrender.

"Whatever," He said, walking slowly down the hall with a small smile on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2-Choosing**

**Third Person:**

"What is this place?"

Steve gave a sideways glance at Bucky, a smirk planted across his face. Bucky looked confused, in slight (Nearly invisible) awe, and almost nonexistent happiness.

"You'll see," Was Steve's brilliant reply as he clapped Bucky on the shoulder and led him inside. Thankfully there wasn't a sign outside, so now it really was a full on mystery to Bucky. But to him, he wasn't really sure if he liked surprises or not, and he thought about that the entire way there, fingering his new outfit as he did so.

He was wearing jeans with a pair of black combat boots, a black belt, and gray -Shirt that hugged him in all the right places, showing off how strong and firm his torso was, black gloves, and a black, leather jacket (Best way t hide his arm). he only thing he did with his hair was brush it. He didn't really want Natasha or Thor to do anything with his hair again. Now _that _had been a nightmare. He shivered at the memory slightly as he walked up to the desk with Steve.

The lady behind the desk had red hair, glasses, freckles, and wore a green top. She eyed the two fossils hungrily as she straightened up her papers, a blush forming on her spotted cheeks. She pushed her glasses and looked up at them with a perfect, white smile.

"How may I help you, gentlemen?" She asked. Bucky shrugged and gave a pointed look to Steve, who cleared his throat awkwardly.

"We would like to get a dog," He said. Bucky looked at Steve, surprise written in his eyes. She woman flashed them another smile and stood up.

"Right this way. We have many to choose from," She said as she led them into a room behind her desk.

In that room was a long hallway that stretched for a full minutes walk. There were cages with dogs and cats inside lining the walls. Nearly every single cage was filled, and the dogs and cats were all making their dog and cat noises. Steve had a smile on his face, and Bucky honestly didn't know how he should feel. He was kind of happy that Steve would go out of his way just for him, to get him a dog so he could sleep better at night, but did he really want a dog? Or a cat? If so what would he name he or she? And what if he didn't like the dog he picked? He couldn't just give him or her back and pick out a whole new dog. He would feel to guilty for it. He sighed and shook his head, trying to force his tense muscles to relax. He could see Steve 'secretly' give him a worried glance, but he pretended like he didn't notice.

"his one," The lady said, "Was picked up a few months ago. He lost his leg due to a bad owner. And this one..."

Bucky had stopped listening to the lady, who apparently like to ramble on. Steve, like the polite gentleman he was, stuck to the lady and listened closely, while Bucky went to go look at other animals. He caught bits and pieces of Steve's conversation he was having, like most being caught by dog catchers, and some being abused by bad owners, etc., and how thee was no bad dog, only bad owners. Bucky (because he could more or less relate), agreed full-heartedly with that statement.

He continued looking as Steve and the Desky continued talking, humming an old, catchy song from the forties. He looked in every single cage, and most snarled and barked, or cowered, or jumped up, wanting to be pet or let out.

But there was one that didn't.

She was a small, brown dog with green eyes, that was wrapped in bandages, and had a torn ear. She was laying down, and when Bucky came to her cage, she looked a him carefully, as if analyzing him, and slowly climbed into a sitting position. She tilted her head to the side, and Bucky subconsciously did the same. He opened the cage door, and he was so busy looking at the dog that he hadn't seen Desky walk over and slam the cage closed again. Bucky gave her a pointed look, and she gave him a sharp glare, bu quickly wiped it away and gave him a sort of forced smile.

"You don't want this one," She said simply.

"And why is that?" Bucky said, crossing his arms and looking down at the Desky. She calmly pushed up her glasses and sighed.

"It was picked up about a week ago by the dog catchers, pretty beat up, with no tags. Complete mystery. It had wounds that, well, resembled bullet wounds, except they're going vertical instead of horizontal, meaning that if they were bullet wounds, she would have have to be standing on two legs. It had no owner but was completely beaten up. Does that not seem strange to you?"

"Try me," He shot back.

"It doesn't do anything but sit there and stare at you."

"Well that's probably because _she _is smart enough to know that she's not supposed to like being caged," Bucky said, opening the cage once more and gingerly pulling the dog out. The dog didn't bite or growl like the Desky had expected. Especially since this one had always been tense and alert when anybody else came in, like security guards and such.

Bucky looked down and scratched the dogs head, already thinking of several names. Maybe he would just let one of the others name her if he couldn't think of anything that suited her. He looked at Steve and nodded, and Steve turned to the Desky.

"Do we have to pay or anything?" He asked politely. The Desky opened her mouth, closed i, and shook her head, pushing up her glasses ye again, though that time it was more out of habit. She sighed, shaking her head a little more.

"No, you only have to sign a few papers. You'll be given a free collar and leash because of legal issues, and then you'll be set. What color do you want?"

"Hmm...Let's go with green," Bucky said with a smile. he Desky nodded and walked off. Bucky turned to Steve.

"Hey, Steve?" He said.

"Yeah, Buck?"

"Thanks."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3-A New Name, A New Home, A New Life**

**Charlotte:**

I didn't know why these two men wanted me, and at this point I didn't really care as they carried me out. I was no longer in a cage, but I wasn't quite well enough to get away in a short time, so for now, I would wait and see how it played out for now. At least until I was better.

In the mean time I was getting a pretty decent scratch behind the ears by the long haired one with his fake hand. The reason I knew despite the fact that it was covered up? The scent. But I honestly didn't mind. With all I've seen and gone through, his arm is probably the least threatening thing I've ever seen. And o be honest, I was a bit disappointed when that metal arm set me down, put on a collar (That thankfully didn't hurt like some other ones I've worn), and a leash. What was he doing? Guiding me? Letting me guide him? Normal people are so strange, but I didn't question it as I walked next to him and his blonde friend.

**Third Person:**

When Steve and Bucky got back to the Tower, everyone greeted them in their own ways. Natasha and Clint waved, Banner gave a polite hello, Tony was extravagant as it, as usual, and Thor nearly hugged them to death. Only when Thor let go did he realize that there was a small animal at Bucky's side.

"What is that?" He asked, picking it up like an inexperienced father would a child. Charlotte squirmed slightly, but didn't growl or anything of the sort.

"Steve took me to get a dog," Bucky said plainly.

"Oh," Thor said, almost awkwardly. He gave them a little cough and put Charlotte down. "How lovely. Have you given it a name yet?"

"This it is a she, and no, I haven't. Not yet, anyway."

"Can we help?" Tony asked, walking up to Bucky and throwing an arm around his shoulder. He acted as if he was examining his finger nails, when in reality, he was looking at Bucky through the corners of his eyes. "You were gonna let us help, right?"

Bucky only shrugged.

"Well if I thin k it's good then yeah, sure. But I don't-"

"-How about Lucky?" Clint said through a mouthful of food. "That way it can be Bucky and Lucky."

"I legitimately don't know how to respond to that," Bucky said as he stared at Clint. Clint scoffed and shoved more popcorn into his mouth.

"I's a girl, right? So why not something dangerous, yet cool, like Scarlet?" Natasha said, looking away from the TV.

"Better than Lucky," Steve muttered so that only Bucky could hear. Bucky snorted, and the dog made a noise that resembled laughing.

"Why not Fraya?" Thor suggested, getting down on his knee and looking the dog over. "She is a Goddess, mainly dealing with love, sex, and beauty. Or Tyr, the god of courage. Sefa also has a nice ring to it."

"What does Sefa mean?" Clint asked. Thor shrugged.

"I am unsure if i has a meaning, I was just suggesting a name."

"Well...What about something like Dugan?" Bruce asked, rubbing his arms nervously. Bucky smiled, but it kind of disappeared when Tony spoke up.

"Well I vote for Scootacous P. Fruitwinkle."

"...Seriously? You actually managed to pick something worse than Lucky." Bucky said, giving Tony a pointed look. Tony scoffed.

"Of course not. How about Ozzy, or Lassiter?"

Charlotte, of course, only understood a small portion of the conversation. She could ell some were names, but that was about it. Not like she really cared anyway. Thanks to Bucky making off the leash when they got inside she was able to just walk under the coffee table and lay down. Maybe she could get a few more minutes of sleep...

She was interrupted by someone picking her up again. She yelped in surprise as the person grabbed her ribs in the most bruised spot and tried squirming out of the person's grasp, but it was already to late as she was set down in said person's lap. She looked up with an annoyed expression at the one they called Clint, muttering a few curses in Esperanto in her head. The woman siting next to him picked Charlotte up a little more gently, holding her in more comfortable places and set her in her own lap. That mus be Natasha.

Natasha smiled down at the dog as she gladly sat down in Nat's lap and laid back down, petting her fur as she did so. Natasha received a small glare from Clint and smirked, making Clint fume slightly.

"I wanna hold the dog, Nat," He whined. Natasha rolled her eyes as she looked at the bandages around the dog, ignoring Clint completely.

"Well how about Happy?" Steve said with a smile. Bucky considered it, and didn't have to do so for very long before he nodded in agreement.

"Happy," He repeated with a smile. "I like that."

* * *

><p>Over the next few days, CharlotteHappy had wandered around enough to know ever nook ans cranny. She learned everybody's name, and scent, and learned what a Jarvis was. But it was always frustrating, not knowing how to speak English and therefore not understanding it. But on the bright side she was given food that actually tasted good, and was well enough to have no bandages, but was still to injured to be going far places any time soon.

It was easy to get bored in her current form. There was only so much you could do. So when she wasn't playing with Bucky, she was usually watching TV with the others, or sitting still so Steve could draw her, or being Tony's lab assistant by giving him the tools needed. Everyone just thought she was a really smart dog and didn't think anything of it. It was like she was a part of the big, misfit family that was the Avengers.

She liked this big, misfit family.

The only family she had ever really had was her mom at the Facility, and a few close friends who always escaped and managed to get caught a while later, or got caught once and stayed locked away, or someone who escaped and stayed gone for good. Some she had seen take their own lives because they didn't see a way out. Charlotte probably would have to if it weren't for the simple fact that she didn't want to make her momma cry more than she already had.

Charlotte sighed as she stepped outside, basking in the warmth of the afternoon sun. She yawned, and stretched, and stayed outside until it was night time and you could almost see a few stars. Then Bucky had called her in, and she went willingly.

She liked this life.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4-Training**

**Third Person:**

Bucky was whistling when he walked into Avengers Tower. He had gone to go get a very special something for a very special dog. She was strange though. Happy rarely ever barked, only when Clint forgets to feed her when Bucky and the other goes out (hey take urns watching her while they get food and stuff), or when she's warning them about something, like burning food or one of Stark's inventions about to go wrong. Even then she would usually just paw at you first, then growl, or whine, then start barking. And despite being only a few years old, she hadn't done any type of business inside at all. Usually you had o rub the dog's nose in it a couple of times before they got the message, but he hadn't had to do any of hat with Happy.

These are the reasons why he was sort of confused as to why he needed a book to help him train her.

It wasn't his idea, of course. It was Tony's. He was always complaining about how he couldn't get her to do he little tricks, like rolling over or sitting, or playing dead, even. She just looked at him with a blank stare, tilting her head to the side. He ended up buying the book for two reasons. One being he was tired of Tony's complaining, about how Happy couldn't do anything, and he had no idea how to train a dog himself. So he bought a book that Nat recommended after he asked her about it. It was called _How to Train Your Dog._

He sighed and sat down on his bed, looking at the cover of the book. He could picture Tony in his head, telling him to get a move on, so Bucky put his pinkies in his mouth and let out a high, shrill whistle. A few seconds later Happy came trotting in, her tongue sticking out of her mouth. She didn't go immediately for Bucky. Instead she pushed the door closed with her paws and then sat in front of Bucky, knowing he liked a little more privacy. Then she ended up fully managing to pull off an expectant face with her tongue still sticking out of her mouth. Bucky took out his phone and took a picture before ruffling Happy's fur with his metal hand, which she oddly liked. She was always cuddling on that side of him or gnawing on it out of boredom when they watched a movie next to each other. She seemed happy with all of Bucky, just like Steve was, and that made him Happy. Which is why he was especially glad with the name he had picked. It suited her.

He opened the book with a small smile and read the first page.

"Take command. Show them who's in charge..." he railed off. He shrugged and set the book down before standing up and putting his hands on his hips. Happy looked up at him, bringing her tongue back in her mouth.

Charlotte suddenly felt like she had done something wrong. Bucky looked slightly angry standing like that with his knit eyebrows and bottom lip jutting out ever so slightly. She looked to the floor and wrapped her tail around her legs. She looked back up at him, nervously as a child would his mother after getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Bucky's face was softer than before. She perked up slightly, and he dropped his stance, releasing his tense muscles.

"Just...Roll over?" He said, a small look of desperation clear on his face. Charlotte had no idea what he was saying. She tilted her head to the side, and Bucky sighed. Charlotte, realizing his distress, huffed. He was trying to talk to her, but she couldn't understand a word he said.

Bucky sighed and ran a hand through his long, dark hair. Maybe if there was some way he could get her to understand him...

...Wait.

_Maybe that's the problem, _he thought. _Maybe she just doesn't understand English. So what languages should I try...? Hmm..._

_"Dese la vuelta," _he said.

No reaction. Bucky frowned and tried again, but this time he spoke in Russian rather then Spanish.

_" катись."_

Her tail flopped, but other than that, nothing.

_"Rulla över."_

Well he can cross Swedish off of the list.

_"Ruliĝi super," _He said tiredly in Esperanto. He didn't expect it to work as he sighed and closed is eyes. However, when there was a rustling noise, he opened them again...Only to find Happy rolling across the floor with her tongue sticking out of her mouth. So his dog understood Esperanto.

He could have fun with that.

_"Paroli."_

Happy barked at him, wagging her tail despite the fact that she was on her back. Well, that was exactly what he wanted her to do. He smiled and grabbed the book, gladly ripping it to shreds and throwing it on the ground like confetti, letting Happy roll around in it excitedly. Bucky snorted and chuckled, until his chuckling turned into full on laughing. He hadn't laughed this hard since Natasha had dragged him to the Smithsonian, only to find Steve behind glass with the word "FOSSIL" written on his forehead, his shirt saying "SPECIMEN" in big black letters.

Soon Bucky was on the ground as well, rolling around with Charlotte in the paper mess he made. He pretended to play dead, but he didn't get a chance to do it for long.

Charlotte was happy up until Bucky went still. She ran over to him, pushing his arm slightly. He didn't move. She whined and hopped on his chest, licking his face as she did so. He coughed as he got a whiff of her dog breath and gagged before sitting up with a small smile on his face. Happy fell into his lap, and she looked at him with a...Worried expression?

_Huh, _he thought, _Maybe playing dead isn't such a good idea..._

He scratched her behind the ears and she leaned into his hand. He laughed and laid back down, letting Charlotte crawl up to his chest again. She curled up into a ball, and with some very good petting, she fell asleep. Bucky smiled softly and yawned. He put a hand behind his head and a hand on Happy and fell asleep almost as quickly as her.

* * *

><p>Steve sighed as he looked at he sight before him.<p>

Bucky was laying on the ground, asleep with Happy, who was also asleep on his chest. There was paper confetti everywhere, and the lights were still on. He nudged Bruce, who had followed him, and snapped a quick picture before flicking the lights off and leaving.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5-Nightmares**

**Third Person:**

Charlotte yelped as she landed on he floor. She slowly stood up and shook her head, taking in her surroundings. She had just rolled off he couch in her sleep. She couldn't remember what the dream was about, but she had a sick feeling in her stomach that told her she didn't really want to remember. She looked around, only to find that she was the only one in the living room. It was dark outside, aside from the bright lights of New York. She yawned, stretched, and slowly stood up.

She had been with Bucky for a month now, and they were practically inseparable. Like Bucky and Steve, but in a different way. With Steve he was always teasing or serious, or just really chill and content. When he was with Charlotte, Bucky was gentle, and playful, and always caring. And every now and then he would tell her stories in Esperanto. Usually from memories from the forties. Charlotte knew he probably needed someone to listen to him, and some things he just needed to talk about to someone who wouldn't doubt him, or look at him with pity. She guessed that that was the reason he talked to her a lot. He always seemed a lot better afterwards, as if he got some huge secret off of his chest. A lot of times his stories weren't so friendly, and others, she noticed how Bucky couldn't help but smile.

And it was only through those stories that she really began to understand her best friend.

He believed that he was broken, and not to be trusted, or felt like there was nothing he could ever do to take back the lives he ruined. He felt extremely guilty for something he couldn't control. And Charlotte could relate extremely well. Not a day goes by where she doesn't think that she could have done more to save her mom, or make the hell easier on her, or sometimes just make her happy. In the Facility, there wasn't any hope. The only reason she knows what her mom looks like when she is smiling is because of the locket that Charlotte always wears (Although it's a specially made locket that changes with her, like her clothes). Sometimes she thinks about risking changing forms so she could look at the locket, but her fear of what might happen if they found out was greater. What if they threw her out? Or gave her over to the Facility? Or maybe even gave her to some new scientists who wanted to cut her open after saying everything was going to be okay? She just wouldn't be able to handle that...She couldn't handle that kind of rejection. Especially since she felt like she belonged there with the Avengers. She had accepted this place as her home like Bucky accepted her as his dog, or Steve with being in the twenty-first century.

So on she went, up the stairs to the room she shared with Bucky. Despite the fact that they had gotten her a dog bed, Bucky made sure that she didn't have to use it. He always let her sleep on his bed with him, and she couldn't help but think it was so they could fight each others nightmares off. At least that's what she liked to think.

She yawned once again as she opened the door with her nose and strolled in, closing the door with her front paws again. Thanks to the Facility cells always being so dark, she could see everything pretty clearly. There were still a few pieces of confetti paper from a few nights ago, some of Bucky's dirty clothes, her dog bed, nightstand, Bucky's bed, and Bucky's slightly shaking form on top of said bed. She frowned and ran over to the bed, quick but cautious She hopped on top and Bucky moved to his side, clutching his left shoulder. She quickly grew worried, and ran up to his sweaty back. She put her front paws on his arm and shook her as best as she could to get him to wake up.

Needless to say, it didn't take very long.

Bucky sprung up, grabbing Charlotte and pinning her against the wall. She was surprised, but not at all angry. He saw the fear and determination in Bucky's eyes as he choked her, but she made no move. She didn't even flinch.

Instead she slowly watched as realization came into Bucky's face and he released his grip on her throat. She fell on the pillows with a ump and shakily stood up, coughing as she did so. She shook her head and looked at Bucky, who looked so guilty as he looked at his hand, then Charlotte, and then her again. He had been using the metal hand to choke her in his blind fear.

But despite that, she didn't care if he was an ex-assassin or a TV talk show host. She just knew that Bucky was upset because of a nightmare. She had made it her job to make Bucky smile and laugh the best she could, to always make him happy. She had to live up to the name after all. So instead of running away like any normal dog would, she curled up in Bucky's lap and let him slowly start to pet her with a shaky breath. She couldn't help but notice how he was using his real hand, unlike all the other times, where he used his left. She licked his hand, and he brought her a little closer to his chest, rocking back and forth.

_"I'm sorry..." _he whispered in Esperanto, _"I didn't mean to, I swear..."_

She could tell that he was afraid that she would leave him, that she was going to suddenly push him away. But Charlotte understood, so she just let Bucky pet her so he could calm himself.

She didn't know how long it had been before he finally laid back down. Maybe an hour, hour and a half at most. But she didn't care. She just wanted to make Bucky feel better, so as he fell asleep again, she curled up into a ball next to him. She felt his real hand wrap around her in a protective way and smiled to herself as Bucky drifted off, muttering apologies in Esperanto.

* * *

><p>The next few days, Charlotte stuck close to Bucky just to help him reassure himself that she wasn't going anywhere. And she also noticed how he kept worriedly glancing at her as she followed directly next to him. To the kitchen, the couch, his room, Steve's room, the gym, Tony's workshop, etc.<p>

This didn't go unnoticed by Steve, who gave Bucky a quizzical and worried look, but didn't say anything about it.

Currently Bucky and Happy were in the arm chair. Happy was curled up asleep in Bucky's lap, and he was, as usual, petting her thick fur, looking off into space. Bu he was quickly knocked out of space by Happy, who had began to twitch in her sleep. Bucky looked down, only to find the twitching getting harsher and more frequent. Happy was growling slightly, but more out of sadness, or desperation than anger. She rolled on her side, getting just a Bucky's stomach. He had stopped petting her, and was looking a her like she had looked a him-worried.

She whimpered slightly, and she sunk her claws into Bucky's leg, shrinking into an even tighter ball of fur. Bucky nudged her, and when she didn't wake up, he nudged her again, only a little harder that time. When that didn't work, he full on shook her and told her to wake up in Esperanto. This time, she did wake up. She looked so sad and depressed. She unhooked her claws out of Bucky's thigh and curled closer to Bucky with a sad sigh.

He hadn't realized that dogs could get nightmares, too. It kind of made him wonder what his Happy had been through before the dog pound.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6-The Mission**

**Charlotte:**

I watched as Bucky left with the Avengers. They had gotten a distress call from half way across the world. Somewhere in Japan at some fancy school and one of Tony's business partners. Bucky had left plenty of food for me in he kitchen, and had Tony rig the TV to play non-stop Disney movies so I wouldn't get bored.

But that was not what I was going to spend her short time alone doing.

Despite the fact that the Facility was a hell hole that sucked away any kind of hope, I had made some friends. They escaped with me, and I had memorized his cell phone number in case anything happened. So I was going to use an old cell phone to call her friend. To do this of course, I had to switch to one of my other forms. I chose my favorite one, my in-between form before dialing the number.

I waited patiently for Tyson, a very old friend of mine, to pick up. He had been caught by the Facility just a couple years before Mama had been captured, so I've known him my entire life. Since he also spoke Esperanto (It's a dead language, but many of the species that came before human kind still speak it), so there was really no need for me to learn English. Tyson was a Gargolian, the oddball of his colony. Gargolians are naturally dependent species (It's so bad that they can' tie their own shoes without another person's help, and it takes two to three people to get things down from the top shelf), and he was the only one who decided to do things for himself. So he was kicked out, an outcast. Not long after, he was caught by the Facility.

It only took two calls and four rings for Tyson to answer.

_"Hello?"_ He answered, panting slightly. I almost felt bad. I couldn't understand what he was saying, but he sounded really worn out.

_"Tyson!" _I said happily, seeing if I could improve his mood. I heard a small scuffle, and could practically see him sitting up straighter, a smile or worried look probably growing on his face.**  
><strong>

_"Charlie! How have you been? Obviously not very bad if you snagged a phone," _Tyson said in Esperanto. I grinned, because 'not very bad' was probably the biggest understatement I have ever heard.

_"Are you kidding? 'Not bad' doesn't even begin to describe it! This place is perfect. Tony and Steve are really nice, and Bucky always gives me these really good scratches behind the ears. And it's really funny when Bucky talks to me because he knows I only understand Esperanto, and he's the only one other than Natasha who knows it. And-"_

_"-Woah, woah, Char. Slow of all, who are all those people? And what form are you in? Better yet, where are you? I've been so worried, I've got ten other people looking for you across the States."  
><em>

_"I'm at the Tower, in my dog form."_

_"What tower? And with who?"_

_"..."_

_"Charlotte," _Tyson pressed. I sighed before answering.

_"I'm at Avengers Tower...With the Avengers."_

It was his turn to be silent. I could see the gears working in his head, and I suddenly felt guilty for not calling sooner. Especially since I made him worry so much, when I was doing better than probably ninety-nine percent of the people who escaped he Facility, including Tyson. I gulped nervously as the silence between us seemed to last a decade, when in reality, it only lasted about five seconds.

_"...I don't remember hearing about an Avenger named Bucky," _he finally said. I snorted, and heard him chuckle a second later.

_"That's because he...Well...It's kind of hard to explain. He fought in some war with Steve-"_

_"-World War II-"_

_"-And everyone thought he died when he fell from the train, but he didn't. He was brainwashed and always had his memories wiped and stuff. Now he has a bunch of nightmares, so Steve took Bucky to go get a dog from the pound, so he picked me. He used to be someone called the Winter Soldier, but he's better now."  
><em>

_"What did he do as the Winter Soldier?" _Tyson's voice sounded curious and nothing else, except for maybe a little excitement. Charlotte coughed awkwardly and muttered the answer. Tyson asked again, and Charlotte sighed again.

_"He was an assassin. But he doesn't do that anymore, and it wasn't his fault."_

_"..."_

_"...Tyson?"_

_"..."_

_"Hello?"_

_"...I'll just ask that million dollar question when I get there. New York, right?"_

_"...What...?"_

_"I'm going over there. I'm gonna check up on you. Might be a little while though, I'm somewhere in California I think."_

_"T-take your time."_

_"Uh-huh. Don't hold your breath. See you sort of soon."_

_"Okay. Bye."_

And with that, Tyson hung up, leaving me very nervous. We had a silent language. If he said e was coming over, but it might be a while, that was code for 'I'm giving you plenty of time o ell them you're not a dog,' similar to how if one of us casually mentions our arm is hurting, we probably broke ti in three places. If one of us says 'I'm feeling a little ragged,' that's code for 'I haven' slept in four days.' When either of us says we're a little mixed up, we means he's bused-utterly lost and adrift. We had learned this secret language the older we grew. I smiled softly and shut the phone off before putting it back in the drawer.

What now? When was the right time to tell them? What would they do if I ever did tell them? I was just so afraid, and I think that;s been the only thing from keeping me from doing so.

Fear can control people in the strangest ways.

I guess that's why we-not just humans, but all of us-would rather smile through our struggles than admit we're hurting on the inside even though it's really killing us. Because we are so afraid of what each other might say or do. Mama always used to say, "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." I still believe that, even though sometimes it might no be true. It just depends on the situation. So as I see it, I'm living because of the Avengers, and in return, I'm making these PTSD-suffering heroes smile. I always feel accomplished whenever _I'm _the one that's able to make them smile. Like maybe I'm not a complete failure like I've always been told I am by guards, 'doctors,' other species, people, etc.

A lot of times I wake up, still half expecting to be in a cell or strapped down to a table, and it always sends shivers down my spine and I subconsciously stick close to Bucky the rest of the day. It's because the Facility isn't in control, and they'd hate that more than anything.

But now, all I could do was ride it out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7-The Facility**

**Third Person:**

Dr. Robinson was fuming slightly as she stalked the halls of the Facility, not sparing so much as a glance to the monsters inside of the cages. There were ones with wings, some with fur, may with scales, fangs, fins, tails, claws, and everything in between. There had been a massive break out not to long ago, and many of their creatures had escaped. But at the same time many were caught again, either during the breakout or a little later.

She stopped n front of one of them.

This particular one had been caught only a few hours prior, and he was glaring daggers at Dr. Robinson. But she paid no mind. Instead she just smirked and placed her hand on top of the cage. He made no move to attack or stop her.

He had black, shaggy hair and giant, black, leathery wings. he wore a vest with gray swirls, and a pair of black jeans with black combat boos. His claws could rip a person to ribbons in seconds, and his ability to turn himself and others to stone did not help. So she kept her distance, making sure his inhibitor collar was properly functional before turning to one of the guards that had followed her down the hall.

"This one. We need to teach it not to escape again. No pain killers."

The guards silently nodded before dragging the creature away.

Tyson fought the entire way there. he knew that if the Facility needed to teach you a lesson, it usually ended up pretty painfully. More pain than the usual pain, because sometimes they were nice enough to use pain killers.

This was not one of those times.

He fell to the ground after being hit in the face with one of the guards electrical sticks. He coughed and spit out a little blood, clenching his teeth slightly. If looks could kill, every person in all three Facilities would be dead before he was even caught.

_Wouldn't that be nice, _he thought, groaning as he was forced to his feet and onto a table. _Would be more convenient than anything, _his limbs and wings were strapped down. _At least Charlotte is safe...I've got nothing to worry about until I get here. _He screamed in pain as he scalpel pierced the old scar on his torso, gritting his teeth and already beginning to sweat as they cut over the old 'Y' shaped scar to reopen it and look inside of him, even though they had everything they needed when it came to his insides.

He felt an immense pain in his chest as two of the white-coats stuck their hands in his open chest, and three more in his stomach region, biting back the tears that were threatening to fall. He clawed at the table, getting a bit of metal under his claws as he did so, but he needed more pain so he could be distracted from the fire n is chest.

_That would be helpful right now, _he thought. _Breathing fire is what I really need at the moment..._

It felt like an eternity, lying on that cold, metal table, being poked and prodded in all sorts of different reality it was half an hour, at most. He had all of these machines hooked up to him for his heart and vitals, etc. If he went out, these monsters would lose their jobs. That's the thing about the Facility. They never ever kill you. hey only push you to your limit, and never past it. It wasn't because they were good-hearted people or any of that crap. No, it was because if he died they wouldn't be able to use him any more.

Luckily for him, he had had practice with this over the years. He had become a master at forcing his heart beat to slow down enough to where hey would think he's at his breaking point. No, he just had a few tricks up his sleeves. This is how he got out the last time, but he knew they didn't know that, so now was the perfect time to do it again. He had to get to Charlotte and make sure she was okay with the family of super heroes. For a number of reasons. One being they were _super heroes, _two being the fact that she isn't human, and three being the cold heart fact that he was an over protective big brother when it came to Charlotte. She was just a kid after all.

But she is the strongest kid he has ever known.

After he was sewn up, he pretended to be really out of it, even going so far as to letting them drag him by his arms, even though the stretching of his torso made him want to cry out. Instead, he bit his bottom lip to focus on making that hurt more so he could ignore the pain in his chest. Once they made it to his cell, he moved fast. He swept one guard's feet out from under him and took his electrical stick. He hit the other guard in the face and ran, ignoring the cries for help. He couldn't look back now, not when he was so close.

"I'll come back!" He shouted over his shoulder. "Charlotte is with super heroes, I'll come back!"

And with that he slammed the door open and ran into the woods.

* * *

><p>Dr. Robinson frowned at the guards who had underestimated the Gargolian. Didn't these idiots know how to do anything right? She was sure one of them was the one that had forced sexual intercourse on the one lucky enough to be born in the Facility. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Luckily the cameras caught it. The one who had been watching everything had said that "Charlotte is with super heroes, I'll be back," Whatever that meant. She had no idea who Charlotte was, but she knew who the super heroes were. Not personally, of course, but she knew them just the same. So that's where she would send out her squad. The monster may have gotten ahead of them, but he was weakened by the treatment. The Facility was faster and stronger at this point, so they would be able to get there faster. Their only problem was not letting anyone know who they are and what they do, so they would have to wait until the heroes left.<p>

She would get her property, no matter who or what got in her way.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes: **I am deeply sorry for the small mix/up. You may continue the story now./Have a happy holiday!

**Chapter 9-The Dreaded Return**

**Third Peron:**

_"Stay," _Bucky said, putting his hands on his hips. Happy nodded, tongue lolling out of her mouth. Bucky smiled and followed Steve out the door, along with the other Avengers. Tonight they were going out for pizza, which meant Charlotte was going t be left home alone again. She didn't mind though, as long as they weren't out for to long. She always got to nervous when they were out for to long. It could be instinct, it could be paranoia. Either way se wanted to be as safe as possible, and she only felt truly safe whenever she was with the Avengers. It didn't matter which one (But it was preferably Bucky) as long as she was in calling distance.

She waited a full five minutes after they left before deeming it safe enough to switch to her in between form. She went straight to the kitchen and turned on the disposable phone she had used last time to call Tyson.

She was really worried about him. It had been three days since she last called him. A rip with his speed when flying should only take a day. A day and a half at the most if he stopped and rested. And Tyson, with the over protective big brother that he was, would go as long as possible with no rest. That was just Tyson's way.

So that meant he got caught, or something else bad happened to him. There were so many scenarios gong through her head, and each one made her panic level rise.

She tried calling four time and each time there was no answer. So she decided to make a very careful decision that only took her less than two seconds to decide.

She quickly dialed Bucky's cell phone number. Thankfully for her (And much to her relief), he picked up on the third ring. When he spoke into the phone his voice was hard and on edge.

_"Who is this and how did you get this num-"_

_"Bucky, I need you help."_

_"Who is this?" _Charlotte noted how he was now speaking in Esperanto, and his voice was a little softer. So he could tell that she was a panicked child. She took a deep breath to et rid of the shakiness in her voice.

_"It's Happy. I'm not really a dog and I'm sorry for lying to you but I was afrid. Anyway, my friend is in trouble and I need your help. His name is Tyson and-"_

Charlotte was cut off by the door swinging open and many angry voices. She cursed under her breath. She knew by common sense and the scent that it wasn't the Avengers of Bucky. Bucky hadn't been running on the phone, and they were ten, fifteen minutes away at the most. By foot that is. She learned a log time ago that they never traveled b car because traveling by foot was easier.

She ran out of the kitchen and into the living room in her dog form, only to find guard from the Facility. She growled and barred her teeth, backing up slightly. Maybe they would just go away thinking that she was a normal dog with a not-so-normal family. But there was also the fact that she wanted to protect this place against any threat. Se considered this place home, and she didn't take to kindly to threats against her or her family. She barked twice, letting a little foam come to her mouth. It was just another thing that all Lupos could do, and it made her look more threatening than she really was. Her growl helped with the fear factor. It sounded louder and much bigger than she really was. It was deep ad strong, and with the shape of the room it reverberated as well.

"That's the one," one of them said. "The one that escaped a few months ago." Charlotte's growl intensified, and she stood up a little straighter. The one tht spoke lunged, and she hopped over him. So they weren't even the least it afraid. Joy.

She quickly turned into her in-between form. She could get more speed this way.

She used the couch as a launch pad and clawed two more guard before running out the door, only to be caught by three with a kennel. She growled and grabbed the bars, but she only got electrocuted. Thanks to her small size she had more room than most would, so she was able to back up and launch herself at the door. Much to he approval, the bars bent a great deal, but again, she had gotten electrocuted. Her hair was no singed slightly, and the was sort of dazed. Before she could recover and try again, one of the guard tipped her small cage so that she slid and landed on top of the still-functional doors. She screamed in pain, and it wasn't long before the black at the corners of her vision took over completely.

* * *

><p>When the Avengers returned to the Tower, all of them grew angry and upset all at once.<p>

There were a few lamps turned over, and there were claw marks on the couch. Natasha had found a broken phone in the kitchen, and there was a small blood stain on the carpet near the TV. Bruce had taken some of it up with a Q-Tip and was currently running tests to see who it belonged to.

But Bucky was the angriest out of all of them.

He got the call from his fucking dog for Christ's sake! He should have been here sooner. The maybe Happy-even if that wasn't her real name-Would still be here, safe and sound with whatever number of guys littering the floor around them because Bucky would have beaten the shit out of tem. Happy was young, and judging from the voice over the phone, she was still under ten. He should have hurried his ass up!

Steve was just as upset as Bucky, but he held it together a little better. Bucky needed him to keep a clear head at the moment, so that's what Steve was going to do.

But then there was a knock on the door frame (The door was broken and hanging on by one hinge).

Steve and Bucky turned around to see a kid-seventeen at the most-leaning against the door frame, panting slightly. he had black, shaggy hair and giant, leathery wins. He wore black jeans, combat boots, and a black vest with gray swirls all over it. His claws were helping him grip onto the door frame as he hunched over slightly before leaning back and spitting some blood out just outside the door where an extra trash can was.

"Where's Charlotte?" he asked. Both Steve and Bucky half-rose out of there seats, eyes wide.

"Who are you?" Bucky asked.

"Name's Tyson. Now where's Charlotte?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9-A Little To Late**

**Tyson:**

"Where is she?"  
>I asked, leaning against the frame for support. Everything in everywhere burned like Hell, and I wasn't sure how long I could go. I was reaching my real limit of exhaustion. I was panting, and that only made the pain in my chest worse, but I had just flown half-way across the United States with no break to get here, so I could deal with a little pain as long as I was able to get air to my lungs.<p>

"Who are you?" he brown haired dude asked. I bit back a sigh and stared long and hard at him. hat meant that Charlotte still hadn't told them, but that doesn't mean they didn't know where she was.

"Name's Tyson. Now where's Charlotte?" That was the best way to go by this. Pretend like they know even though you know they don't. Then break it down for them. Very bluntly, too, just for the reactions. I stumbled in and swayed to the right a little bit. The one with blonde hair was quick to help me to the couch he and his friends were sitting on. I coughed and nodded my thanks.

"Charlotte," I said as if it was obvious, "About this tall, brown hair, fangs, claws, tail...Ring a bell?"

"You...You mean Happy?"

"Depends. Was she a dog when you found her?"

The one with brown hair nodded, and I sighed.

"Yeah, Happy is Charlotte. Hold on, I have a picture in my...Here it is," I grunted with effort as I pulled the worn and torn picture of Charlotte when she was just a few years old, holding hands with her mom through the bars. It was taken by a Hundas who had a knack for photography. He had given the photo to me, and I had kept it ever since. It was a little blood stained in the corner, but other than that it was in pretty good shape. The one with brown hair took the photo gingerly and held it for the blonde to see.

"She's so small," the blonde said.

"Well, for a Lupos, yeah. I stood up again and put a hand to right below my rig cage (I'm about six feet tall), and said,

"This is the usual height for a Lupos at Charlotte's age, but she's all the way down here," My hand went to my belly button region. "The reason being he mom, the older one in the photo, was experimented on just a few weeks before Charlotte was born."

"How do you know?" The red head asked.

"I was there when Charlotte was born. She's like a little sister to me. I've known her her whole life, I'm one of her closest friends, and the closest thing she has to family, other than you apparently," I said, slowly sitting back down. I winced and clutched my chest, taking deep breaths so I could ignore the pain.

"What are your names?" I asked, thankful that my voice wasn't hoarse.

"I'm Steve. That's Natasha, and this is Bucky."

I nodded, trying to sit up a little straighter.

"She was worried about you."

"I turned to Bucky, who was giving me an icy glare. I didn't return it. Instead I just looked at him, tiredly I might add.

"They confiscated my phone. She called me a few days ago saying she was with you guys. I told her I would be here in a couple days, and that she had to tell you the truth."

"That she..."

"Isn't human. Poor kid was born in the damned place."

"What place?" Natasha asked with pursed lips.

"The Facility."

"Facility?" Iron Man asked as he walked in, dressed in full armor, being the reason I recognized him. Somewhat.

"Yeah. They capture the natural beings and do...Things to them."

"Like what?" Another man, one with glasses, walked in from the front door. How many f these guys were there?

"Stuff I would rather not talk about."

"Is that why you're hurting so bad?" Steve asked. I nodded and tried standing up, but Glasses put his hand on my chest and pushed me back down. I saw him frown, a slight look of alarm on his face as he looked at his hand. He held it up to the others, and they all freaked out because they knew it wasn't his blood that stained his hand. It was mine. Steve turned to me.

"Unbutton your vest," He said, going into full military mode. I coughed.

"Geesh, at least buy me a drink first," I said, trying to give him a sarcastic smile. His frown widened, and Bucky held me down with his left arm and let Steve unbutton my vest.

Bucky, Steve, and the newcomer paled, and I waved them off.

"Relax, it's just a flesh wound," I said moving so that I didn't get blood on the couch. My whole torso was covered in it, and you could tell that a lot of the stitches had opened. That's because I flew here instead of taking it easy, but oh well. I'm here now, so there's hope.

"I need to stitch you back up, come with me," Glasses said, taking off his glasses and grabbing my elbow. I shrugged out of his grip, and his eyes flashed green for a moment.

"No, I'm fine. It's not he first time. Now come on, we have to go get Charlotte back," I tried to stand up, and Bucky, Natasha, and Steve stood up with me.

"That's not just a flesh wound," Glasses had a tighter grip on my elbow this time, and he spoke in a more stern voice. "Let me help you."

I thought of the pros and cons of letting him, and the pros outweighed the cons, unfortunately, so I went along with it. Bruce kept glancing back at my torso as he led me through the halls, muttering to himself about how sloppy the stitching had been done. He brought me into a room with white walls and a table in the middle, and I stopped in the doorway.

I could feel my breath hitch as my heart beat got a little faster and I started to sweat. I started backing away, and Bruce (He told me his name on the way here) gave me a worried look. I shook my head, eyes wide in terror as I started backing up quickly.

"N-no..." I said. I was not gonna let him take me in there. It was to much like the room where I had been dissected in the first place. I just couldn't.

"Tyson, you agreed," He said calmly. How could he be calm? How can he do it when that room is a freaking death room? I looked up at him, eyes wide, and shook my head, my back fully against the wall now. He came forward and put a hand on my shoulder. When I didn't respond he put both hands on my shoulders and blocked my view of the room, just as memories started entering my mind. I began to unintentionally hyperventilate.

"Tyson, pay attention to my voice," He said, giving me a gentle shake. I closed my eyes, but that only blocked out the sight, not the smell. There was a small whimpering sound, and it took me a second o realize it was from me. My claws dug into the wall behind me, and my hands started turning stone. It got all the way up to my elbows before there was a prick in my shoulder. My eyes snapped open to see Bruce sticking a needle in my arm, and I wanted o freak out and run away, but I blacked out before I had the chance.

**Third Person:**

"God, Bruce, what did you do?" Tony asked as he walked into the infirmary. Bruce was leaning over Tyson's unconscious body, redoing the stitches. Bruce didn't look up when he answered.

"He was having a panic attack," Bruce answered simply, putting in the last stitch as he did so. He cut the string, tied it, cut the extra again, and sighed, taking off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose, taking deep breaths. He put his glasses back on.

"He's a kid, Tony. And so is Charlotte. I can only imagine how many more kids have gone through this."

"And we can help them, Bruce. But I gotta ask...What' with all the...Gray?" He gestured to Tyson.

"It appears to be stone, indestructible. I tried moving his fingers, but it didn't work. I took a hammer to it, and the hammer became splinters."

"That can be useful."

"Yeah, maybe. But...How are we going to pull this off?"

Tony thought for a moment and shrugged.

"Who cares. As long as we take down the bad guy, with style of course, then that's what we're gonna do. All we have to do now is wait until he wakes up."

"Yeah," Bruce chuckled nervously, "Sorry about that."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I do not own or claim Kato Skrapi, she belongs to the best partner anyone could ever have, Clockwork's Apprentice

**Chapter 10-All Alone**

**Charlotte:**

My eyes snapped open, and I immediately wished they hadn't.

I was back. After all that trouble of getting out, staying hidden...It was all useless. And that made me angry more than sad. The reason being is because that means my mom had died for nothing! I clenched my fists and blinked back tears as I at up, ignoring my throbbing head. I would get them back. I called the Avengers and told them I wasn't human, so maybe that would help. Maybe there might be a slight chance of getting out of here.

...But what if they didn't even bother?

What if they were so appalled by the fact that I wasn't human? That I wasn't normal like them, and should stay here? I mean, there's Thor, who's a demigod, and Bucky, an ex-assassin, and heck, even Natasha, a spy for the most secretive organization on the planet other than the Facility. Well, was a spy. That organization doesn't exactly exist anymore. So maybe they'll take me in, or at the very least get all of us out. They were good people with open minds and open hearts, but there's also a lot that people can take. I've seen it in Bucky.

I pulled against the shackles around my wrists and ankles, but the effort was futile. They didn't budge. I sighed and sat against the walls of my cell, sniffling slightly.

"Oh, quit sniffling, kid. You're not the only one here, ya know," one of them said.

"Hey, shut up, would you?! She was born here so why don't you just back off?"

"Well we're stuck here and we ain't cryin'!"

"She's fucking eight years old, jackass!"

I pulled my legs in closer, sort of half wishing I could understand them. My nervousness is pas it's point, as well as my worry. Where was Tyson? And what was going to happen to me? A wave of images passed through my head and I shuddered, pulling my legs in even closer to where I could barely breathe. This was my safety ball. I make myself as small as possible and fit into small places that people won't see, and I might not get hurt. I buried my head in my lap the best as I could and held back the tears and didn't make any sound or movement. Not even when I heard the big, metal doors open and close. I listened to their footsteps, getting closer and closer until hey were right in front of me. Then there was only silence, but I wasn't stupid. I could smell them, and I could hear them breathing. They came for me and no one else.

I heard the door open, and I released my legs so I could hold on to the bars behind me. They would try and pull me out without any type of gentleness. I knew this because that's how they had always pulled me out.

I growled and showed off my extremely sharp fangs, letting my claws grow a little bit. I was satisfied with my growl. I sounded like an adult Lupos, big and threatening instead of small and weak. I lunged for the one who was about to grab my ankle and sent me and him sprawling. But I was outside which would mean that I'm almost-

I screamed as the other nailed me with his electrical rod, being forced to my knees. When he pulled it away I fell forward on my stomach, panting. Not long after, I felt to big hand grab me by my triceps and haul me into the air. He carried me through the doors that they had come through, and there were instantly shivers going down my spine. The antiseptic smell, the chemicals, the smell of burning flesh. I tried to wriggle out of the man's grasp, but that worked about as well as me trying to get the shackles off earlier.

I grunted in pain as I was shoved onto a table and strapped down, my wrists pinned above my head and my ankles and tail restrained all to tightly. I pulled against them, trying to do something like a push up like I had seen Bucky do when he was having a contest with Clint about who's more fit. None of the restraints budged, and I gave out a little whine. his wasn't dissection-not yet anyway. I could tell by the way I was restrained. If my arms are next to me then it's getting cut open. If it's above my head then that means I'm about to get-

I let out a blood curdling scream, not trying to hold back any tears that fell from my eyes as I was electrocuted again, only this time, it was more painful. These things could kill any normal human (The rods were for stunning, and the people who wielded them abused their power with pleasure).

I screamed until my throat was raw, but kept sobbing all the same.

And it wasn't because of the physical pain.

I was still silently crying when I was forced into a tank that filled up rather quickly, and onto the dissection table after being dried off so fast it could give anyone whiplash given just a little more force. I would have been surprised by the fact that I was still awake-more or less-but then remembered that I had been going through this since birth. But that didn't mean I could walk straight. I was awake, yeah, but my vision was fuzzy as hell and if I tried walking on my own then I would unintentionally veer off to the side and fall. Then I would be forced back to my feet and I would continue this. I was surprised that I made it to my cell without falling more than three times. Or was it four? I shook my head. It wasn't like it mattered anymore anyway.

_"Bunch of jackasses," _I mumbled as I tried-and sort of failed-to sit up.

_"Where did a little girl like you learn such language?" _

I lifted my head to see a red-furred Katjonis handing me a bit of bread. I took it, giving her a grateful smile.

_"My friends Bucky and Clint. They sometimes yell at each other in different languages, and Esperanto is one of the ones Bucky likes to use often. Probably because Clint doesn't know it as well," _I grunted as I finally managed to sit up against the bars. _My name is Charlotte. What's yours?"_

_"Kato Skrapi. Are you the same Charlotte that the Gargolian was screaming about when he ran out of here?"_

_"If it was Tyson then yeah, probably."_

_"He said he would go and get you. Said you were with a bunch of super heroes and he would come back for us."_

_"That sounds like Tyson. And yeah, one of the Avengers adopted me when I was in my dog form and I never actually told them I wasn't a real dog. But if Tyson got away then he'll go there and get help. He'll come back. He's stupid like that."_

Kato laughed and ruffled my hair through the bars of our cages. That made me homesick because that's exactly how Bucky would ruffle my hair. I looked down at the bread and tore a piece off. I gave half to Kato and started eating the other half. They hardly fed us, and we both needed to keep our strength up. Especially since most of us had pretty fast metabolisms. But she just shook her head.

_"Eat it. You need it more than me, Kid."_

I looked down at he bread I had offered back to her, and then at Kato, who was now laying down, trying to fall asleep. I smiled and finished off the bread. She was tough. I could tell. She was a survivor; we all were. We could all get by as long as we did our best with what we had. When I was done with the last bite, I curled up into a ball on the side that Kato's cage was on, and fell asleep all to easily.

**Third Person:**

"Well, hello, Sleeping Beauty."

Tyson growled at Tony's smug face as he moved slowly tot he couch. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt better. The stitching had been redone, and he had been given some sort of pain killer for once. He was grateful, but he was only gonna show it to Dr. Banner. banner was literally the only doctor of any kind that Tyson now trusted.

"Are you ready to go?" Natasha asked as she handed Clint his extra bow. Tyson nodded and rolled his neck on his shoulders, flaring his wings slightly.

"Never been more ready in my life."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11-Rescue  
><strong>

**Third Person:**

Charlotte woke up by being dragged out of her cage, and that sent several waves of pain throughout her entire body, and she remembered that she wasn't with Bucky anymore. She was back in the Facility, and she had already been through a day's worth of torture. But despite how much her everything hurt, she refused to show them any more satisfaction than she already had. That was gonna be saved for another time.

Instead she was going to do her best to fight back as much as she could. She was going to show them that they, by no means, despite the popular belief, did not own her. They could not control her. She was going to keep fighting for herself. She was going to fight for the ones who were to weak to fight for themselves. She may be small but she was strong. If there's one thing she's learned over the years, it's that the world is cruel, and the only morality in a cruel world is chance.

So she was going to take every chance she got.

She was shoved forward, and she had to hop a little bit to catch her balance. As soon as she did, she whirled around and lunged for them, claws extended. She managed to get one to the ground, and then started running off. She was going to get at least one of them out with her, and that one would be Kato.

Charlotte stopped in front of her cage and clawed at the lock. She jumped on top of the cage when one of the guards jumped at her. Charlotte was doing everything in her power to do as much good as she possibly could while trying to not get caught.

_"Go, Charlotte!" _Kato hissed. Charlotte shook her head.

_"Not without at least one of you guys. None of you deserve this!" _

_"Then move and let me help. You distract them."_

Charlotte nodded and stopped clawing at the lock, letting Kato take over. She jumped backwards and did a flip, silently cheering because that was probably the last time she was ever going to be able to do that.

But then more and more guards started to fill the hallways, blocking every possible way of entry and exits. She had become surrounded without even realizing it. But she still wasn't gonna go down without a fight. The cheering from the other species helped to. They gave her more than enough motivation for her to try and-

She winced as something sharp pricked her arm. It was a dart. She growled and tried running away, or jumping, or _something. _Instead she fell to the floor. Her limbs wouldn't work. Hell, she couldn't even lift her head to look at the scientist-Dr. Robinson-who had come into view. She could only stare at her shoes.

Dr. Robinson pursed her lips as she pulled Charlotte's head up by her hair and tilted her head to the side. She let go and let Charlotte's face hit the floor with a thump a few seconds later and turned to one of the guards.

"Room 312. You know what to do then," She said. She had a sharpness to her voice that made anyone within range listen to her. Charlotte hated that tone of voice, and she growled her disapproval. Dr. Robinson nudged Charlotte with her foot and nodded towards the guard she had spoken to. He picked her up and carried her by the ankle, letting her other limbs fall helplessly. Her rags of a shirt lifted up slightly, showing everyone her stomach and the new stitches, and all of the other scars she has. But she wasn't focused on that. She was to busy trying to move her finger. She frowned when it didn't budge after a full two minutes of being carried upside-down.

It wasn't much longer that they came into a large, dark, smelly room that made Charlotte's blood freeze in it's place. She didn't even realize that she had been injected with something else until she was dropped and could slowly start to move little body parts, like her hands and feet. There was a low, throaty growl coming from the ceiling. She knew the sound and scent all to well.

A large, dark _something _dropped from the darkness above and pinned her with it's claws, getting a few feathers stuck in her mouth. It's large canine-like snout leaned in close to her head, getting drool right next to her face. Its breath was as bad as its bite was gonna be.

She just really hoped that if the Avengers were coming, they would hurry.

* * *

><p>Tyson growled as he stepped through the Facility doors. The Avengers, all suited up in their respective uniforms (Except for Hulk, unless you count Dr. Banner's uniform the other guy), followed behind him.<p>

Much to everyone's surprise, there weren't many guards by the doors. The ones that were there were taken out with little to no effort by Tyson, Captain America, and Bucky. One guy actually wet his pants when he saw the Hulk, and they all had to refrain from laughing their asses off.

The reason for the lack of guards was more clear once Tyson led them into the place where everyone was in cages. They were all stuffed into this one long hallway, blocking nearly every exit. Tyson glared as his hands and forearms turned to stone. Bucky cocked his gun and Hawkeye knocked an arrow. Cap held up his shield, Iron Man held up his repulsor rays, Thor beat his hammer into his hand like it was a baseball bat, and Hulk snuffed.

Tyson was the first to charge.

he went straight for the one that was taunting a Metalicanian and beat his face in with his metal fists. Without looking at her, he broke the lock on the Metalicanian's cage and ran for another guard.

The Avengers were hard at work as well. These brutes just didn't seem to know how to let up. It was like they took three down, and en more took their places. It was ore annoying than anything. But it was worth the trouble. He had grabbed the one in front of the empty cage and pinned him against it.

"Where's the little girl?" He growled. He wasn't paying any attention to anything behind him because he knew that the Avengers had his back whether or noth he wanted them to. So his soul focus was on the guard that was about to piss himself.

"W-what little g-girl?" He asked, trembling under Tyson's gaze.

"Brown hair. Brown tail. Green eyes. Claws, and fangs. About four and a half feet tall. Tell me, or I let Kato have you."

As if to make his point more serious, he broke the lock on the Katjonis's cage.

"R-room 312! Please, don't hurt me!"

The man shrunk in Tyson's grip, but he barely noticed. Room 312. That was what Charlotte hated the most in this blasted place. He looked over to Kato and nodded, letting go of the guard's shirt.

"Go nuts," He said. Kato gave him a sly smile.

"My pleasure. Good to see you again, Ty."

Tyson nodded again and ran off.

"Bucky, Cap, this way!" He called, not looking back as he did so.

Without saying anything the two super soldiers followed the Gargolian through the labyrinth of hallways, hoping that Tyson knew where the hell he was going.

Tyson and Charlotte had spent a horrifyingly long amount of time in room 312. It was why Charlotte was so afraid of normal birds. One normal one had flown in one day a few years back and scared the shit out of her. He liked birds a lot less nowadays, but he didn't have a fear of them like Charlotte did.

Tysin growled and rammed through the door without stopping, and he knew his shoulder was going to be bruised later on, but he didn't care. He only cared about getting everyone out safely at this point.

And what he saw did not please him in the slightest.

"Charlotte!" He called, running towards her. She was pinned by one of the bird mutations that was bigger than the Hulk (but by no means as strong as the Hulk). Tyson lunged, grabbing the thing by its vulture-like neck and bringing it to the ground, getting it off of Charlotte in the process.

Charlotte had a million and one scenarios running through her head at the moment, but she chose to ignore them as three more mutated birds came down from the ceiling. She ducked, as did the two Avengers, just as the claws nearly took their heads off.

She grit her teeth, ultimately deciding to do something stupid. Like, more stupid than Clint shooting a pea into Thor's nose for dictatorship over the TV. That almost ended really badly. Just like this.

She jumped, using the wall as he friend, and grabbed ahold of one of their legs, sinking her claws into it. The bird let out a screech and tried shaking her off, but she only dug her nails in deeper, and began to climb the bird.

Below her, Bucky was shooting the two that had come for him and Cap, getting them out of the way, while Cap went to help Tyson with the one that was trying to eat him alive.

The bird slammed Charlotte (who had made it to the bird's shoulder blades) into the wall, screeching as it did so. But Charlotte didn't let go. Not after she jumped to the neck. Not when Bucky started shooting at the bird. Only when it slammed her against the wall again did she finally let loose, and she was caught. Being held in one foot, she was clawed in the stomach with the other. Charlotte whined but refused to scream as she bit into the leg holding her. The bird released her but she didn't release the bird. She climbed up it again, this time making it even further up the neck. She grabbed it by its snout and twisted it around, hugging it close to her body and using the momentum as best as she could. She didn't have to go very far until she heard bones snapping, and they dropped. Although Charlotte was just unfortunate enough to land under the bird.

"Charlotte!"

Charlotte, who was blinking away the darkness that creeped in her vision, turned her head the best she could, only to see Bucky, of all people, running towards her. There was a sort of half-relieved, half-worried expression on his face as he managed to get the bird off of Charlotte by himself. She barely registered the fact that he had picked her up and was trying to put pressure on the wound with his metal hand.

"Let's go," Tyson said, holding a hurt arm, "Before the cavalry shows up."

The Avengers nodded and ran away. Charlotte barely noticed because she was unconscious by the time they were out the door.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 12-Regaining Trust that you Never Lost**

**Third Person:**

It was two days before Charlotte woke up and actually stayed awake. While Tyson and the others had been running out he had been informed by Thor that a Sprygan fairy had released the rest of them. Tyson was thankful for that, because he wasn't sure if Charlotte would have made it if he had to spend that kind of time that he hadn't had.

Currently Tyson was laying down on the floor, legs under the coffee table, asleep. Natasha and Clint were who knows where, Tony was nerding out with Bruce somewhere, and Thor went to go get coffee somewhere on Ninth Street. Bucky and Steve were on the couch. Steve was passed out against the arm of the chair.

Bucky tried to sleep. He really did. But he just couldn't. How had he not known that he had adopted a little girl instead of a dog until she gets nearly killed trying to do who knows what. Was it self defense or was she defending him, Tyson, and Steve? Was it both?

He had seen Charlotte (while she was still out, of course) after Dr. Banner had finished patching her up. She had needed more stitches than Tyson had. Her dissection had been more sloppy, and the gashes she had in her stomach had been huge. But, according to Tyson, she was a somewhat fast healer. She would be able to move around properly within a few more days at the most.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with his metal arm, letting his head relax against his chest. Or close to it anyway. When he looked back up, Charlotte was standing there, holding the door frame and looking so guilty, as if Bucky had kicked her in the gut for pissing on the carpet. He smiled warmly at her, trying not to scare her off. It was obvious that she was nervous, and more tense than any eight year old should be.

And Bucky could understand why. When he came to the Tower with Steve, he had been slightly aftaid that people would look at him differently. That they would see the assassin instead of the man trying to get better. In a way, that was Charlotte. She wasn't human, and Bucky had wanted her specifically while she was in her dog form. Now that they knew she wasn't a dog or a human (though she could look lile either one if she wanted to), he could tell she felt that they wouldn't see her as the dog they know and love. But he wanted her to know that he-none of them-saw her any differently. In fact, Bucky had internally been wishing that Happy had been a human, and they could be as close as he and Steve, or Bruce and Tony.

Charlotte saw the smile, and didn't know exactly what to do. That was welcoming, but was it a trick? She decided to take her chances as she slowly stepped into the room. She could see Bucky following her every move. They were slow and forced, and she bit back a wince with every step. Bucky stood up slightly, and Charlotte stopped dead in her tracks. Bucky raised an eyebrow and sat all the way down again, and Charlotte started to move.

It was a full minute and a half before Charlotte made it to Bucky. Even when Bucky was sitting down in a comfortable slouch he was still taller than her. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, either out of nervousness or pain, Bucky didn't know. So to make her more comfortable, he carefully picked her up and set her down on his left knee.

_"I...I guess I need to explain a few things, huh?" _she said, refusing to meet his eyes. Bucky smiled, trying to make her feel less nervous.

_"That would be kind of helpful. If you don't mind that is."_

He wanted her to tell him everything, but only when she was ready. He didn't want to force her into something she wasn't comfortable doing, and if that meant that he had to wait a life time to hear what happened, he was perfectly content.

_"Well...Before I was born-n-not to long, I mean...My mom was caught by the Facility, and not long after that, I was born. And as far as I know, I've been the only one born inside of the place, so that's probably why I'm considered the Facility's property. Anyway, there was dissection, vivisection, the weird bird things, almost drowning, chemicals, one guy who ripped off my clothes and did really gross things, but he was fired or something, injections, and a whole lot of other stuff that really hurt."_

Bucky was internally furious, and he had to grip the couch to keep himself from putting Charlotte down and ending each and every one of them with prejudice because of what they did.

_"And then, a few weeks before I met you, me, my mom, Tyson, and a lot of others escaped. But...But Moma was killed by one of them. That's when I lost track of Tyson. Everything was just sort of chaos after that. I ran after I was almost caught, and somehow made it to here. Then I was caught bt the dog catchers while running away from the Facility, and then you...You know the rest..."_

_"Well, that's...That's something," _Bucky said, trying not to seem angry. _"Anything else?"_

Much to his relief, and the couch's well-being, Charlotte shook her head.

_"Why didn't you tell us sooner? We could have had way more fun together," _Bucky said, nudging her with a lopsided grin. Charlotte smiled weakly.

_"I was...Afraid. You had gone for a dog, not a Lupos. I...I didn't want to go back to running all the time..."_

_"You honestly think that we would have kicked you out? Tony is almost forty and he's still living in his parent's basement, practically. And you know, things can get just to boring without the help of a kid around. Just look at Bruce. He was a nervous shell that was ready to explode at any moment and you were the one to get him more comfortable than Tony ever could. What I'm trying to say is that we need you as much as you need us."_

_"Are you saying that I can...Stay?"_

_"Tyson, too, if he wants."_

The grin that came across Charlie's face was enough to make anyone laugh out of pure joy. He could see that it was like a great weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. He knew because she practically strangled him with a hug, making both Steve and Tyson jerk awake.

"What's going on?" Tyson asked, words slightly slurred through sleep.

"You two have a new home," Bucky said, standing up. Charlotte took the chance and moved from his neck to under his arm, to his back, to on top of his shoulders. The entire time Steve was laughing, Tyson was rolling his eyes, and Bucky was confused but chuckling. Tyson yawnes and moved to his side, holding a thumb up.

"Awesome. And tell Tony he needs to put air freshener _in _the carpet."

Bucky laughed and looked to Steve, who had a huge grin on his face.

"Wanna go tell the others that I now have a daughter?" Bucky asked. Steve chuckled.

"Let's."


End file.
